Umakoti Ngo Wethu

35

"Ma, what do you mean I might have a brother?" We were sitting in our living room. "Yes. His mother came here saying that your father was the father of her son."
"Could there be any truth to it, ma. Baba wouldn't cheat on you." She laughed to herself. "I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to come forward. Your father stepped out on our marriage constantly. It's why I'm not surprised."
"Ma. Are you serious? What do you mean constantly?"
"Your father was a whore Jabulani. I don't want to talk ill of the dead, but that's exactly what he was. I made peace with it."

What the hell? I was so confused. What was happening. "So what now, ma?" She just sighed. "They're probably going to consult the ancestors. You know the family is desperate for sons. Jabulani, you need to insist on a DNA test. If I do it, I'll just look like 'the jealous' wife."
"Of course, ma." Jabulani's mother looked so defeated. "Your father continues to embarrass me even in death." Nobody knew what to do or say at that moment.

A big family meeting was called to discuss the matter. "We all know that the family's only heir right now is Jabulani Junior. We only have Jabu and the new baby. Our family is dying out. This can be a really good thing for our legacy. We need to hold a ceremony for the boy as quickly as possible." The uncles seemed to all agree.

"Wait. We can't just accept anyone without proof. Now, I agree that if he is my father's son, it will be good for the family. It will definitely take some pressure off me, but we can't go into this blindly. We need a DNA test."
"A DNA is for white people. Our ancestors will tell us if he belongs with us."
"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"The ancestors told us MaShezi's sister couldn't bear children, and that was true. DNA is just a waste of time."
"That's fine. Let's waste time just to be one hundred percent sure."

The men went back and forth for thirty minutes and my head was starting to ache.

"Quiet! Quiet, please!" Gogo yelled over everyone. "Jabulani is right. We would like another male to continue our line, but we can't be dumb. Even MaMthembu has said that it's a possibility. Nobody is disputing this child. In fact, we are all open to the possibility. But we have to take into consideration that there are people out there who do not have the best intentions. You heard how his wife spoke. She's here for Jabulani's money. Let's do the DNA test. It won't harm anyone." They agreed, and a meeting was set up to discuss DNA.

"Ma, I know my sister. She's just like her mother. She's going to come in here and destroy. All she wants is Dlomo's money. She'll find a way." Ma just scoffed. We were sitting at the dining room table having tea. "Your sister thinks Jabulani has inherited everything that he has. Jabu's father was a crook. He made money by scamming people in the streets. Most of the time, he only made enough for us to eat. We were completely dependent on the family. He had nothing so I made sure my son was not the same. Everything he has he did by himself. There's no law or judge that will give a siblings money to the other just because they share a parent. So don't worry about your sister."

That put me at ease. "Ma, can I ask a favor??"
"Of course."
"Can we hold out on telling her that for as long as possible so that when she finds out she's completely shocked." Ma chuckled. "You're naughty. You're very naughty, makoti, but I'm naughty, too. Let's do it."

The wait for the DNA results felt like it took forever, but we decided to focus on the baby. We weren't going to give our energy to things that didn't need it. We finished our birth plan, and we decided on a home birth. Since my doctor approved and I didn't want to give birth at the local clinic, this was the best plan. I also didn't want to use any drugs, so we found a water birth would work for me. Everything was approved by my doctors. We had an ambulance on standby if anything went wrong. My husband was so dramatic that he even had a helicopter if needed.